Senate to decide on Thika city status dream

The dreams of Thika Municipality as the sixth city in the country now rests with the Senate. [File, Standard] The dreams of Thika Municipality as the sixth city in the country now rests with the Senate after the task was given to the Senate Devolution Committee by Senate Speaker Amason Kingi. Kingi informed the house that he had received communication from the Kiambu County Assembly approving the elevation after which he asked the committee chaired by Wajir Senator Mohamed Abass to expedite the consideration of the report. Members of County Assembly in Kiambu had last month approved the elevation of Thika Town to a city taking into consideration the recommendation of the Assembly's sectoral committee on Planning and Urbanisation in its report which is now before the Senate. "I direct that the Senate Devolution Committee expedite the consideration of the conferment of city status of Thika Town and table the report for consideration before the Senate after the Kiambu County Assembly having approved the same," said Kingi. Should the committee uphold the recommendation to confer a city status to Thika Municipality, and the report is adopted by the House, the Clerk of the Senate will then forward the resolution to President William Ruto for conferment of city status through the award of a Charter. The country currently has got five cities which including Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru and recently Eldoret. The elevation of Thika is going to raise the number to six even as other towns work towards achieving a similar status in the next few years. Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi, who led a delegation from the county executive and county assembly during the conveyance of the message at the Senate, expressed confidence that Senators will approve the proposal since the town meets all requirement of being a city. He said the town is also well-connected with an intermodal transport network, including a superhighway to Nairobi, a railway line, and a transit highway to northern Kenya. It is also approximately 40 km from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, the largest airport in the Great Lakes region. Wamatangi said that looking at the development of cities and big towns like Mombasa, Nairobi, Nakuru, Eldoret, and Kisumu, you will notice that they all have one thing in common: they are all placed directly adjacent to communication corridors, which has made them advantageous hotspots where opportunities and talent converge. "Thika is positioned directly along the trans-African route with the highways that goes through can be used to travel all the way to Ethiopia, Sudan, and other Horn of Africa nations. The road can also be used to travel to Zambia, Malawi, and South Africa. That is why the industries established in Thika flourish," said Wamatangi. The Governor said that in Thika, a manufacturer can package their goods and transport them to Nairobi for exportation by air or rail to Mombasa, with its elevation into an industrial smart city, the town is expected to have enhanced international visibility, attracting increased funding and grants, which will be used on development projects, social programmes, and other initiatives. He said that upon attaining city status, Thika will experience substantial benefits, including infrastructural development, improved social standards, and economic growth through establishing new businesses, increased property values, and economic empowerment via a 24-hour economy. Wamatangi said that the new Export Processing Zone and affordable housing projects are set to generate over 50,000 jobs which will make Thika an attractive destination for local and international investors. He said the county has already allocated 325 acres and gazetted the EPZ, which is expected to increase investment opportunities and attract local and international investors in the manufacturing sector, agro-processing and technology, fostering economic growth. The groundwork has already been laid with National Government and the county government having partnered to invest over Sh 10 billion in infrastructure, water, health, education, trade, sports and other necessary initiatives to ensure the town matches city status.

Senate to decide on Thika city status dream

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